Chainsaw Man never gave Denji a proper character arc, and that's the entire point

Chainsaw Man, for all its chaotic flair, subverts typical manga norms by presenting a protagonist who resists traditional character growth. Denji stands out as an exception in this, as the protagonist has been met with criticism by those who have assumed he wouldn’t change throughout the story, stagnating in the same position for many chapters.

It’s what makes Chainsaw Man a dark exploration of trauma, class, and escape. It was an intentional artistic choice to subvert our notions of what heroism is and can be, and of what it means to develop as a character.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.

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The cycle of stagnation as a narrative device in Chainsaw Man

It’s in every single interaction with other characters that this is made clear. When they try to tell Denji he’s changed in any way, he doesn’t reply with a promise of change or reflection on the issue. Denji simply defaults back to his habits of violence and escapism.

Denji’s mindset remains the same because the place he’s from, the setting that’s been embedded in his memory, hasn’t. Most shonen protagonists grow stronger and wiser over time, sometimes even despite themselves. But Denji doesn’t get any better than he was when he started. That’s because his origins as a child in poverty and neglect were not healed.

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Subverting the hero's journey

However, Denji's unchanging nature is one of the series’ most intentionally subversive traits. Denji’s basic desires haven’t changed because the root cause of his trauma hasn’t been dealt with. It only worsens the damage done to him.

This deviation from what is typically portrayed in shonen is so refreshing because the medium tends to heal severe mental traumas in one fell swoop with no room for processing. Denji can’t simply will himself out of the problems he has, even with supernatural powers.

And while many critics might say that’s a plot hole, it’s actually a critique of many other series that use mental illness as an obstacle that can be overcome with willpower.

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The misunderstood critique

Denji and Pochita as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

However, when people criticise the fact that Denji doesn’t change throughout the whole series, they misunderstand the intent behind it. If they think of character arcs in terms of what happens and not what should happen, they see stagnation in a hero as a plot hole or a flaw.

But if they understand what happens is what should happen, they see it as a dark truth about mental health, class, and power structures. Denji can’t change because he can’t, just as many people are unable to move on from their poor, abusive backgrounds because they lack the tools and support to do so.

Denji’s lack of change mirrors this, and is one of the things that makes the story so difficult for some to watch, and is exactly what makes the manga special.

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Power without transformation

He becomes a lost cause, similar to how the medium as a whole depicts those who have been hurt as impossible to recover. It breaks down an idea so integral to the manga industry that a character must become better to be worth following, and that to be able to grow is something one can actively achieve. If a person doesn’t change, then that is all they are.

That’s not to say there are no good characters that don’t develop. There are plenty. But it means the point of their existence isn’t solely their ability to grow as a character. It means we need to understand that some people remain stagnant because they’re held back by systems and circumstances beyond their control.

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Final thoughts

Denji and Pochita as seen in the anime (Image via MAPPA)

This aesthetic challenges the belief that heroism and recovery are always attainable. We root for characters to escape their pain because it's cathartic, but Denji defies that expectation. He continually falls back to a default state. The question implies that the transformation isn't up to him.

The poverty, abuse, and starvation he suffered as a child left such deep scars that even his powers cannot heal them. Denji doesn't fail to become a hero because he's cowardly. He’s forced to remain the same to survive. His story confronts the privilege of assuming transformation is easy or universally possible.

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